┌─ FILE ANALYSIS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┐
│ DEVELOPER : Aldus Corporation (now Adobe)
│ CATEGORY : Image
│ MIME TYPE : image/tiff
│ MAGIC BYTES : 49492A00
└ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┘
What is a TIFF file?
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a flexible, high-quality raster image format developed by Aldus Corporation in 1986 (now owned by Adobe). It’s the preferred format for professional photography, printing, and archival storage due to its support for lossless compression and high bit-depth.
How to open TIFF files
- Preview (macOS) — Built-in
- Windows Photos (Windows 10/11) — Built-in
- Adobe Photoshop (Windows, macOS) — Full support
- GIMP (Windows, macOS, Linux) — Free, open-source
- IrfanView (Windows) — Free, fast viewer
Technical specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Compression | Uncompressed, LZW, ZIP, JPEG |
| Color Depth | 1-bit to 64-bit |
| Color Spaces | RGB, CMYK, Lab, Grayscale |
| Layers | Supported |
| Multi-page | Supported |
| Metadata | EXIF, IPTC, XMP |
Programs that open TIFF files
- Adobe Photoshop — Professional editing
- Adobe Lightroom — Photography workflow
- Affinity Photo — Affordable alternative
- GIMP — Free open-source editor
- LibreOffice Draw — Free document editor
Common use cases
- Print production: Press-ready image format
- Medical imaging: DICOM-compatible scans
- Document scanning: High-fidelity archival
- GIS mapping: Georeferenced raster data (GeoTIFF)